Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-02-06
STAR-GAzING.
SWEEPING THE SKY THROUGH TIE
BIG TELESCOPE.
The Planets In Pebruary-fheir Move.
ments- Venus, Saturn, Jupiter. and
Mercury-The Moon.
fpnoy,dence JournaI.l

Providence JournaLl
VENUS ia evening star, and though
during February she is above the hori.
zon for much shorter time than her
bright brother planets Jupiter and
Saturn, such is her charming appear
ance in the soft light of ebbing day
that lovers OF the stars will unite in
giving her the place of honor on the
monthly record. This radiant evening
star has now advanced far enough from
the sun to be easily visible. On the
1st she sets little more than an hour
later than the sun. On the 2Sth she
shines serenely for an hour and half
after sunset. As Venus is an inferior
or inner planet, she can never rise in
the east at sunset, sweep over the
grand arch of the sky, and set in
the west at sunrise, as the superior or
outer planets do when in opposition.
She is bound by an invisible chain to
the sun, and can only Oscillate east or
west of him as far as the length of the
chain permits. She may, however, be
several degrees north or south of the
SUM- w tiC ilothhNC hpONN VI
below the ecliptic or suns path of the
portion of her orbit through which she
is then moving. On the LIST she is 3 de-
grees north of the sun and about Is de-
grees east. Observers must carefully
note the sunset point, and the planet
will be found northeast OF it at
the distance specified soon after the
sun has disappeared. An opera-glass
will aid in the investigation, as the
planet is a'little difficult to find in the
glow of twilight. Venus moves north
Mt rapid pace during the month. On
the 2Sth she is degrees north of the
sun, and has moved far enough on her
eastward path, so that she is about 20
seconds east of the sun. She must
therefore be looked for farther north
and farther east of the sunset point than
on the LIST. But directions will scarcely
be needed for the place in the sky
where our nearest celestial neighbor
may then be found She will be seen
at glance.
On the 9th, Mt 7 o'clock in the eve
ming, Venus is in conjunction with
Mars. The planets are only "a minutes
apart, a little more than the diametero of
the moon. Mars is now too far distant
and too near the sun to be visible to the
naked eye, but the phenomenon may
he observed through small telescopeor
good opera-glass.
The right ascension of Venus on the
1st is 9th. 59m., her decination is -
degrees 81 minutes south, her diameter
is 10 minutes 4 seconds, and she is in
the constellation Aquarius.
Venus sets on the 1st soon after e
o'clock in the evening on the 2Sth she
sets about IA quarter after 7 O'Clock
SATURN is evening star, and is q beau.
tiful object throughout nearly the
whole night; for on the LIST he is about
two hours, or 80 degrees, above the
eastern horizon when the sun sets,
reaches the meridian about half-past 10
o'clock. and sinks below the western
horizon about half-past o'clock in the
morning. His motion is now retro
grade or westward On the 9th, in his
backward progress. Saturn comes
into close conjunction with Delta
GeminorIm. star of the third
magnitude. Planet and star are
at their nearest point at 5
o'clock in the morning, being then
only separated by minutes of
space. They will be low down i'll the
west, for the conjunction occurs half an
hour before the time of their setting.
1t will be interesting on the evening of
the 9Th to note the approach of the
planet to the star, as well as TO observe
them at the time of conjunction. On
the evening of the 9TH it will be
found that Saturn has changed places
with the star, being west of it instead
of east. A good opera glass will greatly
aid in the observation, for the greater
light of the planet will dim the lesser
lustre of the star, as the distance de-
creases between them.
Saturn is nearly 3 degrees west Of
the position he occupied on the 1st of
January. so that, instead of being in
nearly straight line between Pollux
and Procyon, he forms an irregular tri-
angle with these stars.
The right ascension of Saturn on
the lst is IN. l5m., his declination is
% degrees 13 minutes north, his di-
ameter is 1879 seconds, and he is in the
constellation Gemini.
Saturn sets on the lst about half-past
3 o'clock in the morning. On the 18th
he sets a quarter before 4 O'Clock.
JUPITER is morning star, acsrdingto
astronomical classification, although he
rises before midnight on the lst, and
will rise soon after 10 o'clock when the
month closes This superb planet is
now il degrees east of Spica, and, as
he is nearly stationary during the
month, the two heavenly bodies will
preserve their relative distance. We
had some charming views of the regal
member of the suns family III the
small hours Of the morning during the
month Of january. On one occasion
Jupiter, Spica, and the waning moon
formed a triangle, the moon hanging
below the stars. and the lesser stars in
the vicinity sparkling like diamonds in
the crisp, clear atmosphere Of the IN
tensely cold winter morning On an
other occasion the picture was even
more lovely. Jupiter and Spica occu-
pied the celestial field Immediately
around them, the red and radiant
Arcturus shone brilliantly above them,
and the slender crescent of the waning
moon was just coming into view above
the housetops.
The star-lit sky fakes on its most
brilliant as well as most sublime aspect
when viewed in the weird silence OF
the midnight hours and on Il back
ground of such intense blackness as
the moonless sky then presents. The
observer feels under these conditions
kind of companionship with these mys-
terious twinklers, whose beaming light
pierces the boundless depths of space,
and whose destiny is so intimately con-
nected with that of our own sun, so in
fnitely great in our estimation, SO in
fnitely little when compared with the
myriad hosts that stud the heavens.
The right ascension of Jupiter on the
LIST is 14h. 14m. his declination is Il
degrees minutes south; his diameter
is 80 seconds, and he is in the constella-
ton Virgo.
Jupiter rises on the LIST few minutes
before midnight. ON the 18th he rises